Proposals to cut the time tourists from outside the EU can stay in the UK from six months to three are expected to be announced by ministers this week.

The move is among measures aimed at further tightening the visa system.

A deposit of at least £1,000 to be paid by families who want relatives to visit Britain will also be introduced.

Meanwhile, the Home Office has defended the payment of thousands of pounds to failed asylum seekers to persuade them to return to their home countries.

Forfeit bond

The new measures are said to be contained within a consultation document set to be unveiled by immigration minister Liam Byrne.

BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue said the idea of a cash bond was not a new one but he understood ministers were convinced it was the way forward.

It would see people using "sponsored family visits" to enable relatives from outside the European Union to visit on temporary visas would need to put up a cash bond.

The bond would then be forfeited if the relative did not leave when the visa expired.

Our correspondent also said the existing right of appeal to a full tribunal against a decision by immigration authorities not to grant a visa could be scrapped.

He said such appeals, which currently cost between £30m and £40m a year, could be replaced by a simpler and cheaper appeal process.

The government has already announced other changes to the visa system which Mr Byrne described as the "biggest shake-up of the immigration system in history".

They included a points-based system for economic migrants and the tightening of procedures for people bringing spouses into the country.

Market stalls

Separately, the Sunday Telegraph has reported how £36m was paid to failed asylum seekers to enable them to set up businesses back in their own countries.

Since 1999, more than 23,000 migrants have received up to £4,000 each under the voluntary assisted return and reintegration programme.

According to the paper, the funding has enabled people to set up clothes factories or market stalls back home.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said the government was resorting to "bribing them to leave - with the taxpayer picking up the bill".

But the Home Office said the programme - part-funded by the EU - was cheaper than forcibly returning failed asylum seekers which costs £11,000 a time.

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7146527.stm

whatever its not their fault. too many eu pple

@assule
Look boy, if you have nothing to say on this thread, shut up and relocate to your picture thread. I dont blame you- hsmp dependant like yourself. You are lucky your dad was smart enough to have quickly applied for 'his dependants' to come and meet him in the uk, if not you would have been weeping and running helther skelther by now.

The aim of this thread is to advice people that want to go to the uk through any legal route - visiting, student, dependant, marriage,hsmp etc, to do so as soon as possible cos the rules and requirements are getting harder, tougher and ridiculous by the day.

This guys wan kill us o that means naija pple no go come uk again o men thenks for the info i don fwd this info to every body way i knw wan come jand cus its crazy men. Nobody go pay 1000pounds for in relation o.

Nice info.

@funkybaby
Thank you for the INFO.

These Uk peeps too like monii sef! They always have a way to collect peoples' monii by frontin some sort of nonsense. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!!! (£1,000)

UK should be the only country that collects "Cash Bond" for visiting, student, dependant, marriage,hsmp etc

GOD BLESS NIGERIA AS WELL AS AMERICA.

eryck:

@funkybaby
Thank you for the INFO.

These Uk peeps too like monii sef! They always have a way to collect peoples' monii by frontin some sort of nonsense. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!!! (£1,000)

UK should be the only country that collects "Cash Bond" for visiting, student, dependant, marriage,hsmp etc

GOD BLESS NIGERIA AS WELL AS AMERICA.

and UK probably has the highest number of absconding visitors
the money will be returned as soon as the visitor returns
theres huge pressure on the home office and
The Government needs to be seen to be doing something.

funkybaby:

A deposit of at least £1,000 to be paid by families who want relatives to visit Britain will also be introduced.

That to me is soo silly!

What if you don't have a family there and
you want to visit Britain?

Akin

funkybaby:

@assule
Look boy, if you have nothing to say on this thread, shut up and relocate to your picture thread. I don't blame you- hsmp dependant like yourself. You are lucky your dad was smart enough to have quickly applied for 'his dependants' to come and meet him in the uk, if not you would have been weeping and running helther skelther by now.

The aim of this thread is to advice people that want to go to the uk through any legal route - visiting, student, dependant, marriage,hsmp etc, to do so as soon as possible because the rules and requirements are getting harder, tougher and ridiculous by the day.

any problem?

Na wa ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, wetin this people dey feel like self?
Anyway just follow the advice gven to you,its better you apply now and hope for the best .


UK o ga fun yiiiiiiinnnnnnnnbeyen ooooo

This is highly interesting. Visa agents are going to double their money now!

1000GBP as a surety Well this does not only bother on Nigerians-Nigeria, but everyone other non EU-countries.

There have been serious talks on the cancellation of the appeal process for quite a long time now. I guess Gordon's administration might just make it a reality.

_{@ funkybaby,
It was pleasant to hear your voice today. Hope to hear from you soon again}

funkybaby:

@assule
Look boy, if you have nothing to say on this thread, shut up and relocate to your picture thread. I don't blame you- hsmp dependant like yourself. You are lucky your dad was smart enough to have quickly applied for 'his dependants' to come and meet him in the uk, if not you would have been weeping and running helther skelther by now.

The aim of this thread is to advice people that want to go to the uk through any legal route - visiting, student, dependant, marriage,hsmp etc, to do so as soon as possible because the rules and requirements are getting harder, tougher and ridiculous by the day.

You are really a lady after my heart.

eryck:

@funkybaby
Thank you for the INFO.

These Uk peeps too like monii sef! They always have a way to collect peoples' monii by frontin some sort of nonsense. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!!! (£1,000)

UK should be the only country that collects "Cash Bond" for visiting, student, dependant, marriage,hsmp etc

GOD BLESS NIGERIA AS WELL AS AMERICA.

I do not think it is outrageous. Now sponsors will think it through when bringing in their relatives to the UK. I welcome the idea. And if it is the UK that will be performing this feat for the first time, it is very well called for.

Considering the number of application they recieve in a month, it is a good method to differentiate those who want to come to the UK genuinely and those who just want to escape to the UK.

akinalabi:

That to me is soo silly!

What if you don't have a family there and
you want to visit Britain?

Akin

Well Britain is not the only country in Europe, and it is not the only country that is English speaking. So go for other alternatives.

@mrpataki
Same here darl. You've made my week.
Pls Dont forget to find out about the 'requirements' so that i can bring everything along with me.

@Topic
It was actually the proposal to modify the appeal process that caught my attention in the article. Actually,from the article, all the issues raised are proposals which might still be debated on but they is a high chance that the policies will come into effect.

In the article, it was stated that its a bond of AT LEAST £1000, which means, it might be higher when it comes into effect. It's simply crazy!

funkybaby:

@mrpataki
Same here darl. You've made my week.
Please Dont forget to find out about the 'requirements' so that i can bring everything along with me.

You made my month sweets. I will make enquiries and get back to you soon. Thanks a lot.

'Risky people'

In addition to shortening standard tourist visas, the government might introduce special occasion visas for events such as the London Olympics in 2012.

The consultation was launched as the government announced that over a million fingerprints had now been collected from overseas foreign nationals applying to come to the UK.

Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said: "Tougher checks abroad mean we keep risky people out.

"By next spring we'll check everyone's fingerprints when they apply for a visa; now we're proposing a financial guarantee as well - not for everyone, but where we think there's a risk.

"Our aim is to make the system both more secure, but also to ensure that we maintain the UK's position as a destination of choice for tourists."

The consultation will run for 12 weeks, until 10 March 2008, on the Home Office website.

'Unfair'

The Conservatives dismissed the proposals as a "gimmick" and repeated their call for an annual limit on immigration.

Habib Rahman, chief executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the new measures would discriminate against poorer families.

"The government is trying to deter people to come for family visits. This is unfair."

Applications for visas have gone up by about 50% in the past five years and more than 2 million were issued last year.

Under a new scheme, visa applicants in more than 120 countries are now required to provide fingerprints if they want to visit the UK.

Global checks

So far checks have identified over 10,000 applicants who have previously been fingerprinted in the UK in connection with immigration cases or asylum applications, the government said.

Those refused entry include an Iraqi citizen who had earlier been refused asylum in the UK under a different identity and a [size=16pt]Nigerian citizen [/size] who had been jailed for shoplifting under a different identity and deported from the UK.

From spring 2008 the aim is for the biometric checks to be extended to all visa applicants globally.

The government has already announced other changes to the visa system which Mr Byrne described as the "biggest shake-up of the immigration system in history".

They included a points-based system for economic migrants and the tightening of procedures for people bringing spouses into the country.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7146527.stm

There is no need to announce that they will halve the visa period. They should simply do it and not broadcast it. Afterall, United States and Schengen embassies give people visas for a few weeks!

I don't think £1000 pounds will stop anyone desperate to travel from doing so.

Tats:

There is no need to announce that they are slashing the visa period by half. They should simply do it and not broadcast it. Afterall, United States and Schengen embassies give people visas for a few weeks!

I don't think £1000 pounds will stop anyone desperate to travel from doing so.

It is a major reform on the UK immigration laws and so it was just reported as regular news that's all. Are you saying that it is not newsworthy?

Tats:

[b]There is no need to announce that they are slashing the visa period by half. They should simply do it and not broadcast it. [/b]Afterall, United States and Schengen embassies give people visas for a few weeks!

I don't think £1000 pounds will stop anyone desperate to travel from doing so.

hmm you posted this early in the morning so

Isn't six month a bit long, month people have work and business to get back to anyway

@tats
Agreed us and other eu countries give visas valid for weeks but the fact remains that uk is a MAJOR tourist attraction. Uk government generates billions of pounds via various means from tourists-so many shopping malls,clothing lines and companies in uk will collapse without the influx of tourists. Fine-they might try to discourage illegal immigration and it might in the long term affect their economy. Cos i have sat down to think- uk has nothing! No gold, no oil, nothing! Just an ideal location to shop, shop and shop. Not forgetting the billions of pounds they make every year from 'international' students.

P.s am making this comment from a tourist point of view.

funkybaby:

@tats
Agreed us and other eu countries give visas valid for weeks but the fact remains that uk is a MAJOR tourist attraction. Uk government generates billions of pounds via various means from tourists-so many shopping malls,clothing lines and companies in uk will collapse without the influx of tourists. Fine-they might try to discourage illegal immigration and it might in the long term affect their economy. Cos i have sat down to think- uk has nothing! No gold, no oil, nothing! Just an ideal location to shop, shop and shop. Not forgetting the billions of pounds they make every year from 'international' students.

P.s am making this comment from a tourist point of view.

You are very correct, they make more money from tourist who visit the UK. annually. But take note this 1000GBP is a refundable once the visitor has returned back to his or her country. That is what they want. Come and visit if you want to, but dont overstay your visit.

How you dey?

funkybaby:

@tats
Agreed us and other eu countries give visas valid for weeks but the fact remains that uk is a MAJOR tourist attraction. Uk government generates billions of pounds via various means from tourists-so many shopping malls,clothing lines and companies in uk will collapse without the influx of tourists. Fine-they might try to discourage illegal immigration and it might in the long term affect their economy. Cos i have sat down to think- uk has nothing! No gold, no oil, nothing! Just an ideal location to shop, shop and shop. Not forgetting the billions of pounds they make every year from 'international' students.

P.s am making this comment from a tourist point of view.

I doubt that they will lose much money from tourism seen as most of the tourists who come to spend money are either from the US, The European Union and other countries where one one doesn't need a visa to visit the UK, including Japan.

The new change is cleverly aimed at those who do need a visa and in most cases make full use of their six month's allowance in the UK.


Another note; Rich people from countries that do require a visa to visit won't need sponsorship  and definetly won't need to spend more than 3 months in the UK anyway.
You are correct that the UK may not have much in terms of resources and by making this amendment to their law it helps towards only getting those in who are more likely to spend rather than illegally earn money to send back home.

These people love making money over here. By the time that £1000 is paid to the embassy as a bond and sat in an high interest account for three months a tidy sum would have been generated in interest. All they will have to do is give you your £1000 back as promised after sponsored person goes back and keep the interest for themselves. Last year several millions of visas were granted to the UK so we are talking big money here if everyone were to pay £1000 a pop.

@pataki
Am alright. I cant wait for february 2008.

@Easybaby
You are right.

@elosela
Sorry. I addressed you as easybaby. You are right. Those uk peeps like money too much!

funkybaby:

@elosela
Sorry. I addressed you as easybaby. You are right. Those uk peeps like money too much!

LOL! no probs!

EloSela:


I doubt that they will lose much money from tourism seen as most of the tourists who come to spend money are either from the US, The European Union and other countries where one one doesn't need a visa to visit the UK, including Japan.

The new change is cleverly aimed at those who do need a visa and in most cases make full use of their six month's allowance in the UK.

Another note; Rich people from countries that do require a visa to visit won't need sponsorship  and definetly won't need to spend more than 3 months in the UK anyway.
You are correct that the UK may not have much in terms of resources and by making this amendment to their law it helps towards only getting those in who are more likely to spend rather than illegally earn money to send back home.

These people love making money over here. By the time that £1000 is paid to the embassy as a bond and sat in an high interest account for three months a tidy sum would have been generated in interest. All they will have to do is give you your £1000 back as promised after sponsored person goes back and keep the interest for themselves. Last year several millions of visas were granted to the UK so we are talking big money here if everyone were to pay £1000 a pop.

@EloSela,  I agree it is a news item, but so much is being said about it. Such actions are taken by other countries and it hardly makes headline news. I think the issue of immigration is overflogged here. Hardly will you not see something about immigration in daily newspapers. I rarely read the Daily mail for instance because it dwells so much on immigration issues that I get tired of it. You've made some good points here particularly regarding the fact that many of the tourists that come here do not require visas to visit the UK. So they are unaffected by all these laws. People from Russia, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Jamaica traditionally make more applications to the Uk Embassies in their countries, so they are more likely to be affected by the new laws introduction.

I do agree that Tourism is extremely important to the economy of the UK, but so is the services industries. The financial, Insurance and consulting industries for instance provide services to worldwide clients. There is still some appreciable levels of manufacturing and agriculture and exports are huge from the UK, (not forgetting the money spinners "Foreign students" )

I really wonder what exactly the £1000 is for. What if I sponsor someone who comes here and refuses to go back? Will I force the person to go back simply because I want to collect my 1k, or will the money be the removal fees when the person is eventually caught and asked to leave the country? It reminds me of what i understand is going on at the South African embassy in Nigeria, where people are made to pay some deposits before being issued visas.

I think we should get things in our country right and stop being affected by all manner of laws made by other countries.

@Tats


I think that the reason why they talk about immigration over here is because it is a very small country, in fact the smallest country that the everyone from the whole world seems to want to immigrate to. I think they are scared that that they are going to be overrun and so it is a major issue, especially in terms of how the NHS and other public resources/ services will cope.

I don't know what they plan to do with the 1K if invited guest refuses to go back. I was under the impression that most visitors were made to go back already by those who had sponsored them otherwise their (sponsors) reputation would be jeopardized and they would not be able to help anyone esle. I can't help but think that the plan is a money spinning ploy as I explained to Funkybaby; i.e leave 1k in a high interest account for a certain amount of time and collect the interest. I have temped for some govt agencies before and they are fond of doing stuff like that.




Merry Christmas!

Mrpataki and funkybaby


Na wa o!
these coded messages hmmm


Anyways

Advice please
How does this affect 1 yr 2yr visas
and what abt peopl who's 6months visa will soon expire

salsera:

Mrpataki and funkybaby

Na wa o!
these coded messages hmmm

What seest thou? Is it not simple English we are all writing? Na wa o!

How you doing as well?

salsera:

Anyways

Advice please
How does this affect 1 yr 2yr visas
and what about peopl who's 6months visa will soon expire

Back to business, nothing concrete has been said about whether this will affect regular travellers to the UK.

However my own understanding is that, the new rule is meant for first time traveller to the UK. It states it is meant for those coming to the UK under the six (6) months visa. Renewal of visa is not a problem once you have a good immigration record with them. Also the bond issue is not meant for all cases. It will only be used in exceptional cases, where the ECO is in doubt.

@mrpataki

simple english? One day we will know,

thanks for the info

Yeah one day we will know simple English

I no fit shout for now

But one day one day,

You are welcome for the info.